How to get rid of cold sores fast? This article you will show you how to get rid of cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes using medically sound and well proven home remedies.

Learning how to get rid of cold sores will give you great relief when you need it most. Yes, you have probably seen some wild claims by a few companies. They try to convince you their magic ointment is how to get rid of cold sores.

You buy it. You try it. Again you are disappointed.

If you are serious to know how to get rid of cold sores, then first you should understand what actually causes them. Then these cold sore treatment tips will make a lot more sense to you.

An oral herpes event - often called a cold sore or fever blister - is created by the herpes simplex virus. It comes in two flavors - type 1 and type 2. Either one causes similar sores.

The herpes virus is extremely contagious and tough. Nearly everyone in the world carries it. When you first are infected, the virus chooses a nearby nerve fiber as a lifetime home.

Normally the herpes simplex virus is latent and not causing any problems. About 34% of those infected will never experience one cold sore. The other 66% will usually get one or more sores a year.

When you feel stress, your immunity will fade. This gives the herpes virus the opportunity to become active. From its hiding spot in the nerve roots, the virus will go to the surface, enter cells there, and create new virus.

Once full of new virus copies, the cells burst open and release them. All these close cells bursting open creates the oral herpes cold sore you see and feel.

Now your body must create new cells and skin to heal the damaged area.

How quickly you heal will depend on your health and energy level. Availability of the necessary building materials also determines speed of healing. Primarily we are talking about vitamins, minerals and certain proteins.

Our main purpose right now is to explain how to get rid of cold sores that you have currently active. However, you will also see how to prevent future oral herpes cold sore events.

1. BEGINNING COLD SORE SYMPTOMS

When a new cold sore is just hours away, you will feel the virus moving to the surface as a tingling or itching. Treating the area quickly could delay or discourage the oral herpes sore from developing.

Now you should act quickly and apply ice - or anything cold. It is like giving the virus a cold shower. It discourages the virus from replicating. This trick will definitely slow down, if not stop, oral herpes cold sore outbreaks.

2. KEEPING THE COLD SORE CLEAN A MUST FOR FAST HEALING

Our bodies understand how to get rid of cold sores efficiently. Once the sore breaks open, your body creates a fluid that washes tons of cold sore virus out of the wound.

With your help here, you will greatly encourage fast healing.

Continually cleanse the cold sore using alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Not only will you remove much of the virus this way, you will also help prevent spreading the sore to another location or person.

3. REPAIRING THE COLD SORE DAMAGE

Ice is great to reduce swelling and pain. But it greatly slows the healing process of an open wound. Once the cold sore has opened up, use application of heat instead. This will bring more healing blood where you need it most.

Many folks like using warm tea bags. Besides being very convenient, there are nutrients in tea that really discourage viruses and encourage skin repair. Throw tea bags away after use.

For best results, do not heat the bags in a microwave. The radiation reduces the effectiveness of the healing properties of tea. Use hot water to heat the bag. Applying for 10 to 20 minute sessions are the best therapy.

Hopefully you will find these methods helpful in knowing how to get rid of cold sores. Perhaps you would like to learn even more great tips and secrets to successfully dealing with oral herpes and cold sore events.

If you will let me, I would love to be of help to you. Although there is no more room here, you can visit my web site for a lot of good ways how to get rid of cold sores.